I Have My Dead
by fasterassembly
Summary: P4. Eight letters written from the Investigation Team to their families in case of death.


_November 7, 2011_

To my dearest grandfather:

If you are reading this letter, then I am dead, missing, or in a position such that I am unlikely to ever have the mental faculties necessary to convey this information to you. Please take the time to read this letter. I write to you not as your son's child, but as a fellow detective.

As you are aware, I have returned to Inaba to solve the murder mystery. However, as the months went by, I became increasingly involved with the process of solving the case. I… I became overly involved, you might say. I stopped using logic and reason, and dove into the case headfirst, guided by intangible intuitions, beliefs, and convictions. By all means, I was no longer qualified to stay on the case at the time of my death. The methods I used, though distasteful and out unfitting of the protocol and honor of the Shirogane family, were necessary to bring the case to a close.

I have told you most of my theory behind the Inaba murder cases. What I did not tell you is that I discovered the method behind the kidnapping, the truth of what happens on the Midnight Channel, and the truth of what happened within the television over the course of the last half—if not more by now—year. The killer remains unknown, but I have determined his modus operandi. He has a power that allows him to throw people into a television. Once trapped within the television, it is nearly impossible to escape by oneself. The person is trapped within what I can only describe as a dungeon of their desires and subconscious minds. Within the dungeon, the person's deepest desires are made physical into what is called a "Shadow." These Shadows are strong beyond human reason, and wield powers beyond what can be explained by the real world. The Shadow that manifests from the person will then attempt to murder the person unless it is stopped, and then accepted. Once the shadow is stopped, it can be brought under control in the form of a Persona, which carries a similar, but more controlled, strength as its shadowed form. It is the power of the Persona that enables people to enter and exit from the television at will. If the Shadow is not stopped in time, then the person will die. The reason for this lies in the fog: the dungeons are always foggy, and only clear up when it is foggy in the real world. Without the fog, the Shadow goes berserk, and kills the person.

I am aware that you may find this explanation to be maddening or confusing. I confess that I find it terribly muddled, myself. If you wish for more information, then Souji Seta has the answers you seek. If he is unavailable, please contact any one of the following, in this order: Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Rise Kujikawa, and Kanji Tatsumi.

It is said that it is the child's duty to bury his parents. I have now made you bury your children twice. It is not the way I thought things would turn out. I had confidence in my capability to solve the case. In this respect, I was gravely mistaken. For this, I apologize.

I am your humble servant,

Naoto Shirogane

* * *

_July 27, 2011_

Dear Grandma, Mom, and Dad:

If you are reading this, then I am probably dead. I'm sorry. What happened is too complicated to really explain, but if I have to explain it, then I'd say that I did it to help other people. I did it because I love Inaba. I was trying to catch a murderer—you know, the one that was running around in Inaba? Well, maybe I should've left this one for the movies, right?

Can you talk to everyone at the studio and tell them what happened? I want news of the Inaba case to spread around. This way, more people can get involved with the case, and more people will help! I'm sure that if you use my name, a lot of people will come and try to solve things. I don't want my death go in vain!

I don't know what to do with all the money I got, but I want to use it to help with the investigation. If Souji Seta or Naoto Shirogane come to you, then I want you to listen to them, no matter how sad you feel, okay?

I love you.

Love,

Rise

* * *

_…? __You've found something in the suit Teddie usually wears…  
__It's a letter. Read it? _

[_**Read it  
**_Leave it alone]

…

_The ink is smeared with tears… You can barely read it…  
__It contains a single phrase: _"I love you, sensei."

_You found three __**Soma**__ with the letter._

… _You put the letter away._

* * *

_J__une 2, 2011_

Ma, I wanna say thanks. Thanks for never doubting me or nothing. Thanks for always standing up for me. You showed me how to do so much stuff with cloth and textiles and all that sh… stuff. If I never did that, then I'd be nobody. And you cooked real great, too, and always knew what to say to people. So I just gotta say: thanks. Thanks for being there for me. I'm real sorry for always causing you so much grief. After Dad died, I swore I'd be a real man, and real men don't leave their mothers crying for them and all that crap. Guess I still had a way to go. Left you just like the old man did. I guess senpai and the others can tell you what happened and what was going on. Make sure you listen to them real good. They got me. They really got me, almost as well as you do. Because of them, I learned how to be myself. I'm gonna miss them, but you only get one mother, and you're mine. That's why you get this letter. And don't let anyone give you any shit about your parenting or any of that bull, because they're wrong, damn it. You didn't do nothing wrong.

* * *

_May 3, 2011_

To the Amagi Inn:

I have run away from home. The time I had at the Inn was wonderful. I left because I did not know myself enough to not leave. I value the time we had together very much, but there comes a point where the snow from a mountain must descend from the heights and see what else the world has to offer aside from a place so cold, so distant, and so high… Even waters must evaporate, vanish into the sky, and sample different soils; and I can no longer remain in this town, never knowing what I might be if I hadn't born into this family.

Bury me if you'd like. Know that I am dead to you. I will not be back. Wherever I am, I will be fine without you. There is no reason for you to look for me. You will not find me, even if you do.

I remain in your keeping.

* * *

_April 20, 2011_

Mom, Dad,

Hey there! Just wanted to say that you shouldn't be sad or anything. You know when I said that I wanted to be a superhero? Well, I got my wish! Dumb, huh? You know what they say: be careful with what you wish for. It's like the story with the monkey hand and everything.

So, I guess I'm dead, huh…? Yosuke and I gave these letters to Souji just in case something happened to us, and if you have this, then something must've happened. Um… well, Souji and Yosuke can probably explain it better than I can. Make sure you keep feeding Muku. And if Yukiko's still alive, tell Yukiko that it isn't her fault, and that she needs to stay strong. If she's dead, then… I guess there isn't anything to say. You can tell her that I didn't die because of her, or because I wanted to protect her or anything. It isn't anyone's fault. Sometimes things just happen, and there's nothing you can do that'll change it. So, it isn't your fault, either. Got that?

Oh! Give my DVD collection to the next door neighbor. And you can throw out all the old snacks. And you can even clean my room a little, since Mom's always complaining how messy it is.

So, I guess I want to say that I love you. I know I don't say it that often anymore. I should've! Kind of late for that now, but if I write it enough times, then maybe—well. Maybe, I guess.

I love you, Mom. I love you, Dad. I'll see you around, Muku! You're getting kind of old, anyway, so… who knows? You dumb dog…

Anyway, that's the end. I've used up both sides of the paper now. Wow. I don't think I've ever written so much by hand since I was in middle school.

With love, Chie

* * *

_October 11, 2011_

For the folks:

Wanted to say that this isn't the first letter I've written. This kind of letter, at least. I've been giving one to partner, a new one each month. By now he's probably sick of them (and if he's reading them now, then go away! This is for my parents, geeze!), but I have to write something. Can't let you guys think I got up and vanished all by myself.

I've gotten into a sticky situation. You know those murders? Well, I'm in the thick of the middle of solving them. After Saki-senpai died, I couldn't let this keep happening. The basic gist of it is that the Midnight Channel shows you who's going to be killed next. If you show up on the TV, then you're dead. Someone throws you into the TV, and if you don't get rescued by the next time the fog comes in after a rainy day, then you end up like Saki-senpai, or Mayumi Yamano. I'm one of the people who's trying to rescue the ones who get into the TV. If I'm dead, it's probably because of that: either because the real murderer killed me to keep me from saving anyone else, or because I died in the TV.

Remember what I said about how I hated Inaba when I first moved in? That's not true anymore. Sure, it's kind of annoying sometimes because it's so small, but I love this place now. I have great friends, and I even like working at the shop sometimes.

You know how Dad says that we're all entitled to do one stupid thing in our lives? I want you guys to buy me a bike, and give it to Souji. I've saved up about half the money needed to buy it, and the helmet and jacket I got should probably fit him. I don't know what he's going to do with it, but when he rides it, I want him to think of me. And when you see him on it, I don't want you to be sad. This is what I wanted to do.

Yosuke Hanamura

* * *

Dear Mother and Father:

While you were overseas, I joined the basketball team and the school orchestra. I took up a few part-time jobs. I worked at the hospital, helped out at the daycare, did some tutoring, translated some documents, made a lot of origami, and folded envelopes. (Yes, I made this envelope. I hope it is of good quality.) I talked a lot with Dojima-san and Nanako in the evenings. They're both wonderful people. You should visit them more often. Nanako, in particular, would love to have your company.

I made irreplaceable friends. I found someone that I love.

All in all, staying here has been one of the best years of my life.

Your son,

Souji Seta

* * *

**Notes:** formatting still playing hard to get. My apologies if you see any stray HTML tags. Or if you hate the dividers as much as I do. For the kink meme prompt: _"The various characters write goodbye letters to their parents, left behind in case they all die in the TV World -- kind of like soldiers writing a letter before a mission. Anon, what are these letters like?" _A difficult one to wrestle with. Writing in first person for fan fiction is, for lack of better words, hard.


End file.
